Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 70



Only Noblemtl

What, the head of the central bank is your mother? Damn, Ramien. You were born a rabbit with a golden carrot in your mouth. Well, that’s why you would have written a loan agreement so readily to a stone-fisted guy.

But Jincheol soon thought something was strange.

“Why did the golden carrot come to the army?”

“···Golden carrot?”

Miguel looked puzzled at Jincheol’s expression, but then chuckled as if he understood what he meant.

“That’s a really funny expression. Is that what you call a rabbit born in a good family? But why carrots? Of course, everyone likes good carrots, and the price of special carrots that are put up for auction skyrockets without end···”

“No, why did Ramien come to the army? He said he came from a good family. So why are you sending him to the army?”

Miguel shrugged his shoulders at Jincheol’s question again.

“Only they would know more about her and her mother. I don’t know the subtleties of the relationship because I didn’t know them personally. I only know what is collected and organized in documents.”

Miguel continued his story, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, took out a small oil can lighter, held it close, and lit it. Smoke wafted across the balcony.

“···Didn’t I just say that? Ramien’s biggest weakness is her taste. Naturally, the central bank president also knew his daughter’s taste. I think he found out about it right before she became an adult. That’s when he was looking for a good match for Ramien, and then suddenly stopped all the events and forced Ramien into aviation school. It’s funny that Ramien, despite forcing herself to get in, kept improving her grades and ended up graduating at the top of her class. If anything, it’s amazing.”

Jincheol leaned his back against the balcony railing and crossed his arms.

“I see. But I don’t know if that’s the reason why she should be your successor, that is, the Prime Minister.”

Miguel looked at Jincheol’s posture and smiled faintly.

“If I were to do that, the central bank governor would put all his effort into supporting Ramien. After all, she’s his daughter. Then Ramien, who has no power within the revolutionary army, would be able to gain her own support base. That means she won’t end up a puppet prime minister. However, as I’ve been saying, she has too many obvious weaknesses, and in the end, they’ll become obstacles to her becoming the so-called ‘general’ who rules the entire Jaso with an iron fist. Her background, her weaknesses, and her abilities are perfect for Jaso, who will have to create a completely different world in the future.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Miguel’s smile turned a little bitter.

“···That’s right. The most important thing remains. Is Ramien himself willing to do it?”

He exhaled a long stream of smoke from his cigarette. The wind from the sky scattered the ashes from the cigarette into the air. The ashes and smoke dispersed toward the blue sky.

“She will.”

“Do you think someone who has gone through all sorts of troubles to find his lover would agree to such a ridiculous plan? Well, I guess he would retire as soon as he found his lover.”

“I’ll do it more because of that lover. When I become Prime Minister and gain power, I’ll be able to officially marry that lover. I don’t know about anything else, but I’ll gain that much power.”

“···”

Jincheol’s mouth hesitated as he tried to tell him to stop talking nonsense. Just for that? But then again, when he thought about it, he couldn’t say ‘just’.

Ramien has endured hundreds of kilometers of journey from the far north of Siapo, solely in search of her love. Whether she joined the Revolutionary Army, shot down the Urata fighter in a Battlewing, or is now flying to Rostang, it was all for the sake of meeting her love.

Then what happens after meeting that love? I wish it could just end as a fairy tale where the two live happily ever after, but reality is not like that. Especially not in a society of militaristic flying fascist rabbits.

When she was with Jincheol and his group, her love did not stand out. Jincheol was human, Doljumeok was an Olog, and Maro was a child who lost his parents and lived like a wild animal. Ramien’s uniqueness was not even noticeable among the group.

But just like her mother, the Rabito society will not accept her. They will try to push her and her love, Ipani, into some shady corner. They will even try to get rid of them. Maybe Miguel will open a way for her to live.

What the hell is this? In the end, Jincheol also laughed in vain. In fact, there wasn’t much Jincheol could say after hearing Miguel’s plan. He couldn’t force Ramien or Miguel to do this or that just because he didn’t like what he thought. After all, Jincheol was the one who rolled in, and he was the foreigner in this land.

But even such a stranger could do one thing.

“Make one thing clear.”

“···what?”

“Check with Ramien first and then proceed. Don’t force her. If she says she doesn’t want to do it, if she says she just wants to leave with her lover, then just let her go.”

Miguel blew the last of his cigarette into the air. He exhaled the last of his smoke and asked again.

“Hmm. What if I don’t? What if I force her to do this?”

“Let’s just bring this Comintern airship down to the ground.”

Jincheol looked straight at Miguel and said that, and Miguel’s eyes widened. But soon he smiled.

“Who? You? Let’s put aside the question of whether you can do it, since you’ve already proven it. And what justification? Nothing can be changed by mere threats. If you were going to give in to such violence, you wouldn’t have started a revolution in the first place. Then what do you demand of me? In return for the life you saved me in the past? Or perhaps in the name of the hijacker, the airship hijacker? Or in the name of the guide who gave her hope?”

“No. Just in the name of a friend.”

Miguel stared blankly into Jincheol’s eyes, his smile gone. There was no wavering in Jincheol’s eyes. They were eyes that said he would keep his word without any lies. Miguel, who was looking into those eyes, slowly nodded.

“···Okay, I understand. I’ll ask her what she wants first, just like you said. I won’t force her, and I won’t stop her from leaving. And I’ll ask her after this is over.”

*

When the Comintern appeared over Rostand, it was late at night.

Since they were not planning a surprise attack or air raid, the Comintern turned on all the lights on their ships and entered Rostand in a confident manner, in order to alert those remaining in Rostand of the appearance of the revolutionary army.

“···You’ve made quite a mess.”

This was Miguel’s impression of the scenery of Rostang. As he said, Rostang, which they saw, looked more like a ruin than a city.

It was different from the Solkain that Jincheol and his party had seen in the past. If that city was in shambles because of air raids and war, here in Rostang, it looked as if they had mobilized manpower to completely destroy the entire city.

On top of the city where not a single light could be seen, dirt, stones, and waste materials were piled up here and there, and large pits were visible here and there in the city as if they had been created for open-pit mines. Because of the darkness and the Comintern’s lights, the pits looked like craters.

There were ladders and such installed in such pits, but at first glance they looked flimsy and seemed like they would collapse if a few people climbed on them and made a fuss. In fact, some of the ladders were in disarray, looking like they had collapsed.

As a result, the entire city looked like an under-constructed construction site. There were many signs of demolition of buildings, and many long, winding pits, as if they had been dug into trenches. The Comintern flew slowly over it, looking for traces of other people.

At that moment, a small flame shot up from afar. The flame rose high into the sky, blazing brightly for a moment before quickly falling to the ground and going out. It was a flare.

“Over there!”

The Comintern’s path was immediately directed there. The lights that were searching the ground also illuminated the place. Soon, the rabbis, who were presumed to have fired the flares, were discovered.

They were waving their hands as they climbed up on top of a building surrounded by a kind of makeshift barricade. The Comintern slowly approached the building and soon lowered a rope and ladder that could be lowered down. They tried to climb up, but the soldiers of the revolutionary army were going down faster than them. Among them were Jincheol and his party, and Miguel.

“Everyone, we have to launch the airship right now! Right now!”

The Rabito officer who appeared to have fired the flare – an Urata soldier – said so in horror.

Miguel stepped forward and disarmed them first. The Urata soldiers were afraid, but they could not resist, so they put down their guns. Only then did Miguel speak.

“First, listen to the situation. The Comintern could come out at any time. Are you a soldier of Urata?”

Only then did Officer Urata realize that the people who had come down from the Comintern were the ones he had been fighting with, and he stepped back hesitantly. He unconsciously looked at the other Rabitos gathered behind him. Most of them also seemed to be Urata soldiers.

The officer who had been hesitating finally opened his mouth.

“···Yes. This is Lieutenant Jarmen of the 7th Infantry Division.”

“Did you hear Rahiman’s surrender broadcast?”

“···Yes. We heard. We also surrender.”

“Okay. Now, let me explain the situation here.”

The soldier named Jarmen spoke quickly, perhaps in a state of fear, in order to board the airship as quickly as possible.

The first part was no different from what Rahiman had said. Under the general’s leadership, the entire city of Rostan was torn down, and in the process, a strangely eerie underground passageway appeared. The general sent his elite special forces down there, and that night, strange beasts crawled out and terrorized Rostan.

“That’s the story I know. Let me tell you what happened after Rahiman led the battleship and left.”

“···There is no more story after that.”

Not all of Rostan’s men could board the battleship. There was a selection process, and those who failed were left behind. Eventually, after Rahiman left, they had to band together. They built walls, gathered weapons, and prepared to survive while keeping watch on all sides.

Then he discovered the Comintern and fired a flare right away.

“Wait a minute. What about the citizens of Jasso? They should be there.”

“···”

The hairs on the soldier’s face stood on end. Jincheol could guess that it was like a person’s face turning pale.

“He, they···”

“Where are the people?”

“That is··· there, what happened··· so···”

“This kid! Where are the people!”

Ramien, who had been standing behind Miguel and holding back, finally exploded at the sight of the soldier rolling his eyes, and ran out and grabbed him by the collar. However, none of the revolutionary soldiers stopped her. They were all unable to come forward because Miguel was talking, but their eyes were sparkling with murderous intent.

Soldiers of Urata. Serving in Rostang. So, the Rabito soldiers in front of you right now are the ones who, under Rahiman’s orders, were forcing Jaso citizens into an unsafe excavation site. They were the scum who were forcing people into places where they would die.

“Ugh!”

Finally, Ramien’s fist struck the soldier’s face.

“You! Answer me! What are the others doing? You guys are just sitting here dying!”

“···That, that··· Ugh!”

As the soldier seemed to hesitate to answer, Ramien’s fist struck his face again. The other soldiers behind him slowly backed away, but stopped. Before they knew it, the revolutionary army had surrounded them.

Only the child who was watching spoke dryly, tapping his shoulder with his cane.

“Tell me quickly. Otherwise, these people won’t let you on their airship.”

Whether it was because his quiet threat worked, or because Ramien raised his fists again with fire in his eyes, Jarmen spoke with blood dripping down his face.

“···Outside, it will be outside!”

“Outside? What outside?”

“Outside the barricade!”

“What? Why is that···”

Ramien, who had been asking questions, realized the reason on his own and trembled. Those white beasts not only attacked people, but also kidnapped them. That’s why they threw the citizens of Jaso as prey. In order to delay their turn as much as possible.

The expression on Ramien’s face disappeared. She took out the pistol on her waist with a blank expression and tried to blow Jarmen’s head off.

Fortunately, Jincheol’s hand grabbed hers first.

Jincheol spoke quietly to Ramien, who was looking up at him with watery eyes.

“I came down and listened, and the city was noisier than I thought. There are still a lot of people out there somewhere.”

“Among them, will there be Ipani?”

“I have to look for it now. That’s why I flew all this way···”

Jincheol, who had been comforting Ramien with a bright smile, suddenly raised his head. His gaze turned to a distant place, and the people also turned their eyes to follow his gaze.

Beyond the flimsy barricades and the ruins of a darkened city, white shadows swayed. Those white things were slowly approaching us.

And Jincheol, who had seen deeper into the darkness than anyone else in the place, could see that the shadows were not just one or two, but were swarming in the tens or hundreds. He could also see the face of the white beast.

If you pulled the hair off Rabito’s face, leaving only pale skin, gouged out both eyes, and stretched out his limbs, it would look like that. Where the pale skin wrinkled, sap flowed and rotted black, and the teeth protruding from his mouth were irregular, as if they were embedded with shards of a broken dagger. The saliva flowing out of it was not yellow, but brown.

Jincheol muttered as he watched the beast sniffing.

“That guy really looks like a piece of shit···”

As if hearing those words, one of the beasts screamed, “Kkeueeeeeee.”